Best Lakes for Boating Near Bismarck
North Dakota
30 boating lakes within driving distance of Bismarck, North Dakota, ranked by water quality and boating-specific filters. Filtered for at least 100 acres and public access. The largest lakes with boat-worthy water are listed first.
Within reasonable driving distance of Bismarck sit 30 measured lakes, a lake-dense area that gives residents real choice on any given weekend.
The boating-specific ranking layered on top of the readings is what produces the list below: a lake with clean readings that does not also support the boating use case is less useful than a decent one that does.
| # | Lake | County | Distance | Clarity | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nelson Lake | Oliver | 26.8 mi | 1.3 ft | - |
| 2 | Froelich Dam Lake | Sioux | 45.8 mi | 3.9 ft | - |
| 3 | Harmon Lake | Morton | 12.3 mi | - | - |
| 4 | Long Lake | Burleigh | 24.3 mi | - | - |
| 5 | Dutton Slough | Emmons | 25.7 mi | - | - |
| 6 | Rice Lake | Burleigh | 26.5 mi | - | - |
| 7 | Grass Lake | Burleigh | 28.9 mi | - | - |
| 8 | Long Lake | Burleigh | 29.2 mi | - | - |
| 9 | Clear Lake | Burleigh | 29.4 mi | - | - |
| 10 | Painted Woods Lake | McLean | 29.4 mi | - | - |
| 11 | Canfield Lake | Burleigh | 30.4 mi | - | - |
| 12 | Mitchell Lake | Burleigh | 33.9 mi | - | - |
| 13 | Long Lake | Kidder | 34.7 mi | - | - |
| 14 | Harriet Lake | Burleigh | 35.5 mi | - | - |
| 15 | Lonetree Lake | Burleigh | 35.7 mi | - | - |
| 16 | Lake Geneva | Kidder | 36.3 mi | - | - |
| 17 | Bunker Lake | Burleigh | 36.4 mi | - | - |
| 18 | Heckers Lake | Sheridan | 37.2 mi | - | - |
| 19 | Bunce Lake | Burleigh | 37.7 mi | - | - |
| 20 | Horseshoe Lake | Burleigh | 38.3 mi | - | - |
| 21 | Pursian Lake | Kidder | 38.7 mi | - | - |
| 22 | Weber Lake | Kidder | 39.2 mi | - | - |
| 23 | Pelican Lake | Burleigh | 39.5 mi | - | - |
| 24 | Storm Creek Lake | Morton | 39.5 mi | - | - |
| 25 | Goose Lake | Emmons | 41 mi | - | - |
| 26 | Hutchinson Lake | Kidder | 41.1 mi | - | - |
| 27 | Rush Lake | Kidder | 41.4 mi | - | - |
| 28 | Twin Lakes | Burleigh | 41.6 mi | - | - |
| 29 | Johns Lake | Sheridan | 42 mi | - | - |
| 30 | Stink Lake | Emmons | 42.1 mi | - | - |
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.